


Say my name

by jooheon



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, boys kiss. idk man, nitori gets drunk, rin has a potty mouth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 12:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1119758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jooheon/pseuds/jooheon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nitori stumbles in drunk late one night, Rin is forced to confront how he feels about his suddenly tipsy and handsy roommate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say my name

**Author's Note:**

> SORRY i'm shit at summaries i don't even know what this is about i guess. oh, based partially off that drama cd track where rin doesn't call nitori 'ai' and nitori has a mental breakdown

When the kanji began swimming before his eyes, blurring and morphing into impossible configurations, Rin decided to call it quits. He could only study so much classical lit in one night before it all began to seem like gibberish anyway, and besides, his best efforts still hadn't gotten him better than a B on the last midterm. Which, given that he was an A student in every other class, was sort of disappointing. 

"Whatever," he said aloud, suppressing a yawn. "Time to hit the sack."

Glancing at the digital clock on his desk, he started in shock. What the hell? Since when was it 2:45? Last time he'd checked the time it'd been only 12:30.

"Fuck literature," he muttered under his breath, and flicked off his desk lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Luckily it was a short walk to his bed, and he flopped bonelessly onto the mattress, stretching his limbs and feeling the day's exhaustion seep through his veins. Tomorrow was going to suck; three midterms and joint practice with Iwatobi, which meant racing Haru, which meant he had to be at peak condition. But there was no way he wasn't going to crash by the time practice rolled around. Why the fuck had he let himself stay up this late?

Something was off.

Rin frowned slightly into the dark as he mentally went through his activities of the evening. He'd grabbed a quick dinner with some of the guys from the swim team before returning to his room for the night. He'd studied calc, lifted some weights, studied English, done some pushups. Then he'd jumped into lit, the devil's subject, fully expecting to dedicate hours to it in hopes of boosting his grade on the midterm the next day. All of this, very normal. It was just like any other school night.

But, still, something about tonight was different. What the hell…?

Oh. Of course. 

Where was Nitori?

Usually, Nitori liked to tag along when Rin was eating dinner. He'd chatter on and on and Rin would mostly tune him out, and then he'd scramble to follow when Rin was done, trailing behind him as they walked to the room. And then, during Rin's study breaks/workouts, Nitori'd offer to hold his legs for sit-ups or time his planks or spot him with weights or whatever. And then he'd sit at his own desk and study intermittently until about eleven, when he'd shower and then go to bed. At which time the overhead lights would be off, and Rin would become conscious of how bright his desk lamp was, and how loudly his pencil was as it scratched the paper. Always, he worried that he was keeping Nitori up, yet always, his roommate managed to fall asleep within ten minutes of lying down. And eventually, the sound of Nitori's easy breathing and occasional light snores would prompt Rin to remember, _oh yeah, I've gotta get to bed, too_ , and as quietly as he could he'd put away his notebooks and fall into the lower bunk. 

Lying there now, he realized with some surprise that his evening had actually felt kind of… empty without Nitori. Not that he missed the kid, because that would be ridiculous. He'd seen him earlier that day, he definitely didn't _miss_ him. But he'd gotten so used to always having him around, as annoying as that could get, that Nitori's sudden absence was jarring, a break in routine. Kind of unsettling. 

And besides, now it was nearly three a.m. For Nitori to be out this late on a school night was downright preposterous, and Rin couldn't think of a single good reason he'd be gone this long. 

Maybe… something had happened? 

But — no. Rin was overthinking this. There had to be an explanation; it wasn't like Nitori'd been kidnapped or something.

Just thinking that, though, threw Rin's protective instincts into overdrive. 

Shit, Nitori really could have been kidnapped. He was probably the cutest, most baby-faced kid on campus: an ideal pedo target. Not that Rin thought Nitori was cute (no homo), but. Pedophiles probably would. Because Nitori just had this kind of pure and innocent air about him, this loveliness (no fucking homo) that sort of drew you in. Even if his soft little mouth was spouting mindless, sycophantic bullshit, he was still looking up at you with those bright blue eyes, and probably blushing a rosy pink across that clear, pale skin, and, Rin was just speculating here, but. It was probably really, irresistably adorable. A pedophile wouldn't have to think twice.

Rin had to call the police.

He reached for his phone, then clenched his hand into fist and pounded it into the mattress.

He couldn't call the police, that was stupid. He was clearly reading way too much into the situation. Nitori was probably just hanging out with some friends. Sure.

Even if, Rin frowned, he hadn't really known that Nitori'd had any friends besides him. 

Anyway, the kid was definitely safe. Probably. He knew how to handle himself. And Rin needed to relax and fall the fuck asleep, because his midterms started in about six hours and he couldn't afford to waste the night away worrying about his too-cute-for-his-own-good roommate. Nitori was _fine_.

Probably.

It was just, on the slim chance that something really was wrong, and Rin _didn't_ call the police or do anything about it, he wouldn't be able to live with himself afterward. He felt his heartbeat accelerate anxiously, and he eyed his cell phone. Better safe than sorry, right?

He picked it up, began to dial, then reconsidered. Dialed a different number. 

Without ringing, the call went straight to voice mail: " _Hey, you've reached Nitori Aiichirou! Please leave a message with your name and number and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as_ — "

Rin hung up with a frustrated growl. Little fucker didn't have his phone on.

"Why do I even try," he grumbled, his gut still churning nervously. 

He snapped his phone shut and tossed it aside. He wasn't going to call anyone. He was just going to go to sleep, maybe ask Nitori what was up in the morning. He was definitely not going to keep stressing about this until Nitori returned. 

But try as he might, he just couldn't seem to find sleep. Restlessly he tossed and turned, but the uneasy feeling swirling in his stomach refused to dissipate. Maybe it was stupid of him to be this wound up about something so small, but was it really wrong to be concerned at Nitori being gone so uncharacteristically long? Nitori, who always let Rin know where he was headed, whether it was to class or to breakfast or to the shower. Nitori, who needed at least seven hours of sleep, or he'd be the biggest pain in the ass to drag out of bed in the morning, whining and swatting Rin's hand away while burying his head beneath a pillow. Nitori, who would have hated seeing Rin so upset on his account.

Helpless in his worried thoughts, Rin squeezed his eyes shut and tried willing himself to sleep. He tried taking deep, calming breaths, tried counting sheep, tried every trick he knew to slip out of consciousness. He tried reasoning with himself: _Listen, self, you're tired as fuck, it's about time to knock out, right?_ And when nothing worked, he opened his eyes again, groped around his comforter for his phone, and checked the time. It was nearly four. 

Rin gritted his teeth. This was getting ridiculous. He had to stop thinking about Nitori, and he _had_ to sleep.

At that moment, a faint rustling click sounded through the silent room. Rin felt his breath hitch in his throat, and quickly he flipped over onto his left side to face the wall. If Nitori was finally back, he could relax. He could sleep. He absolutely did not need to let Nitori know that he'd been waiting up for him, no way. He tried to regulate his breathing, make it sound like he'd been asleep for ages. The door swung open and hit the inside wall with a bang, and Rin heard that familiar breathy little gasp, followed by a giggle. 

"Oops!" Nitori whispered to himself gleefully. _Gleefully?_

The door closed again, loudly and carelessly, and then Nitori was crossing the room to climb into his bed. But something, Rin knew without turning around to look, was definitely off. Nitori would never make this much noise coming back, especially at four in the morning. Especially if Rin was sleeping. But, for some reason, it sounded like Nitori was kind of banging around, ricocheting off of Rin's desk and sagging against the bunk bed's ladder, the faint clanging sound accompanied by another little giggle. 

What the fuck?

And then Nitori started climbing the ladder, lost his grip with a faint, "Huh?" and then fell to the ground, with a distinct bang against the wall.

"Oi!" Rin burst out, abandoning all pretense of having been asleep. "Nitori!"

He leapt out of his bed and, in the faint moonlight slipping in through the blinds, made out the sight of Nitori slumped, prone, with his back against the wall and his feet still entangled in the bottom rung of the ladder. It seemed he'd just fallen straight back; not too far, but he'd still probably hit his back pretty hard. 

"Senpai," Nitori said, sounding delighted. "Did I wake you up?"

"No," Rin said curtly, leaning down to help his roommate up. "No, Jesus, Nitori, but what are you — " As he leaned in closer, he caught a strong whiff of alcohol on Nitori's breath. "Oh my God. Are you _drunk_?"

" _Noooo_ ," tittered Nitori, "senpai, no! How could you — hehe — no. Not drunk! Just… drank a little."

"You're wasted," Rin groaned. "I can't believe this. You — okay. Fuck. We'll talk about this in the morning, but right now, you need to get to bed."

"Sen- _pai_ ," Nitori sang. " _Sen_ -pai!"

"Unbelievable."

He hoisted Nitori up by his armpits, finding the smaller boy nearly unable to stand. He was swaying in place, and even as Rin guided one arm to the ladder, Nitori fell back into Rin's chest. 

"You’ve gotta work with me here, kid," Rin growled, practically shoving Nitori at the ladder. "C'mon, let's go — "

Nitori made it halfway up, then promptly fell back down. Luckily Rin'd been waiting, braced for the impact, and he caught him. But not without staggering and huffing a little — little fucker was actually heavier than he looked.

"I can't," Nitori whined, "I don't _want_ to, senpai."

"I swear to God — "

"Senpai, I'm sorry," Nitori went on. Then he wobbled out of Rin's arms and headed straight for Rin's bed, where he immediately laid down curled up comfortably under the covers.

"Wrong bed," Rin said, his mouth going dry, because fuck. Nitori. In his bed. Looking like he _fit_ there, like he belonged, like there'd been an empty space there next to Rin all this time just waiting for Nitori to fill it. 

"Sorry," Nitori mumbled.

Rin let out one long breath. "Okay. Right. You can sleep there tonight, and I'll take the top bunk. But this is the _only_ time — "

"Senpai, _no_ ," Nitori protested shrilly. 

"Huh?"

"Here." Nitori patted Rin's mattress forcefully. "Sleep here."

"There."

"With me," Nitori clarified. 

"Oh." Rin cleared his throat. "I don't — "

" _Senpai_ ," Nitori said pitifully.

"Okay," he said, caving. Not because he was willing to sleep next to Nitori, or because Nitori was doing kind of a schoolgirl pout, no, just. Because he didn't like the top bunk. That was all.

But as he crawled into bed beside Nitori, he began to reconsider his decision. Nitori was still sort of glassy-eyed drunk, and he immediately pressed himself close to Rin, his breath hot on Rin's cheek, his knees bumping Rin's thighs. 

"Nitori," Rin exhaled, a warning. 

Nitori mumbled something under his breath.

"What?" 

"Ai," Nitori repeated. "Why don't you call me Ai? Rin-senpai."

The sound of his name like that, soft and sweet and glaringly intimate on Nitori's tongue, sent a jolt of heat to Rin's gut, made him shudder a little. So, that was probably why. 

"Because," Rin hedged, "I mean, I don't know. I've always called you Nitori, so…?"

"You called me Ai after the tournament last month," Nitori continued.

"Well, that was — "

"And I thought about it a lot," Nitori said. "Guess how much I thought about it?"

Since when was Nitori this goddamn coy? "I don't know," Rin said, and felt Nitori creep closer.

"A _lot_ ," Nitori whispered, his palm landing on Rin's upturned chest. His fingers began wandering, tickling past Rin's collarbones and pausing to caress his jaw. "Like, maybe too much."

"Nitori," Rin hissed. "You're drunk."

"Sucks because I realized, I think," Nitori murmured, stilling his hand, "that, I'll always just be Nitori to you. Nothing more. Just… Nitori."

"Fine," Rin snapped, " _Ai_ , go the fuck to sleep! It's way past both of our bedtimes and I'm too tired to deal with your shit."

Nitori's hand remained, in the silence that followed, curled to Rin's cheek. 

"Say it again?" he asked at last, his voice small.

"Ai," Rin huffed, feeling his cheeks heat up. It was no big deal, it was just a name, he had to get over this weird feeling billowing in his chest every time he spoke it. 

"Senpai," Nitori breathed, and then he was pulling Rin closer, and after a brief pause that reeked of sake, he pressed their lips together. 

At first too stunned to do anything, Rin felt himself letting it happen. He felt Nitori's arms snaking around his neck, felt Nitori's leg hitch over his hips, felt — _oh God_ — Nitori's half-hard dick nudge him indiscreetly. And then, without thinking at all, Rin let it happen some more. He opened his mouth to Nitori's eager tongue and brought one hand up to latch onto Nitori's neck, focusing on how clumsy and soft and _perfect_ Nitori's lips were, even despite the bad taste. He let Nitori deepen the kiss, let Nitori all but straddle him, let Nitori's high-pitched whimpers go straight to his dick. But when he felt Nitori's hand snaking down his stomach in a clear bee-line for his pants, Rin pulled back.

"Hey," he whispered, and fuck his traitorously heavy breathing. "Look. Stop."

"Senpai," Nitori moaned, and rocked his hips impatiently. 

"You're really drunk," Rin went on, manfully ignoring his erection and gently nudging Nitori off of him, "so, we're not gonna do this."

"You're no fun," Nitori grumbled, nosing at Rin's neck, then kissing and nipping experimentally.

"Holy shit," Rin swore, "Ai. I'm not kidding."

"I really like you, senpai," Nitori said, voice muffled in the crook of Rin's neck. "Really really really."

"O-oh shit," Rin stammered, "I mean, uh. Thanks." _Fucking dumbass thing to say, fucking_ fuck.

"Senpai?" 

"Can we just," Rin said, "I mean can you just. I mean. Just go to sleep, okay?"

"Fine," Nitori sighed. He didn't move, though, just settled into Rin's side and did that magical Nitori thing where he fell asleep instantly. Just like that, he was snoring, out for the count.

Rin, still aroused and so keyed up his limbs were just itching to bust out of bed and go for a run or something, was no longer expecting to get any sleep tonight. He was too overwhelmed, he had too much to think about, and Nitori was still pressed against him, pliable and warm and unexpectedly, inexplicably sexy. Or at least, as sexy as someone like Nitori — strange Nitori, awkward Nitori, angelic Nitori — could even be. This whole thing was a lot to process, and Rin knew he had a bad habit of dwelling on every little thing, analyzing it to pieces, and then starting stupid mind games with himself. He knew it'd be impossible to rest easy after everything that had just happened.

Yet, somehow, with Nitori nestled close by in the darkness, with Nitori's calm, even breaths soothing Rin's staccato heartbeat, somehow — he drifted off in no time at all. 

 

Morning came all too soon, and as his cell phone alarm buzzed obnoxiously in his ear, Rin suddenly remembered what his day was going to be like. Three tests and a grueling practice, all on two and a half hours of sleep. A nightmare for his mind and body. Fucking great. Peeling Nitori's outstretched arm off of his midsection, he rolled out of bed at six-thirty and wondered idly if there was any chance he could call in sick to classes today.

But, that was a quitter's way out, and he was stronger than that. He showered, dressed, then came back to his bed, where Nitori was still lying in blissful slumber. Rin allowed himself fifteen seconds of just watching the kid's stupidly carefree face, and then he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook.

"Oww." Nitori squinted, blinked, grimaced up at Rin. "Senpai, _ow_."

"You have to get up," Rin said, letting go of Nitori's shoulders and leaning his elbows on the mattress to fix him with a stern glare. "Classes start in half and hour, and you need to eat something."

"No," Nitori said faintly, closing his eyes again. "Leave me alone, my head is exploding."

"You have to eat, for the love of God," Rin said, exasperated. "I promise it'll make you feel better."

"Don't wanna," Nitori mumbled, but he let Rin drag him out of bed, and took a long drink from the water bottle Rin shoved in his hand. 

"Stay hydrated," Rin told him. 

Nitori smiled weakly. "As expected, Rin-senpai knows what to do for a hangover."

"It's common sense." Rin scowled and looked away. There went Nitori again with the whole first name thing. 

"Senpai?" Nitori's voice had gone low, wavering. Rin met his eyes and found them questioning and a little watery.

"Yeah?" he said thickly.

"I didn't dream it or anything, right?" Nitori said. "Last night. We… um. You and I, we. Oh, God, I can't even say it…"

"Yeah," Rin said, forcing himself not to avert his gaze. "You didn't dream it."

"Oh," Nitori said in a shaky exhale. "Okay. Well. Senpai, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I was just. I mean, Ishida invited me over to hang out with some other guys after practice and I didn't know they were going to be drinking but I just thought, since — well — anyway, I just thought I should try to get to know them better, so I went, and we had dinner and hung out and ended up drinking, like kind of a lot, and finally — I don't know. I came back here, and you. I wasn't thinking. I did some things. I said some things. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Rin said.

"Really?" Nitori looked uncertain. "Well — which part is okay?"

"All of it," Rin said. "Everything."

"Even," Nitori paused and chewed his lower lip. His plump, kissable lower lip. "Even the part where I, um confessed to you?"

Rin narrowed his eyes. "I _said_ everything."

And Nitori beamed, looking just about as happy as Rin had ever seen him, and then Rin thought, _I did that_ , and he had to fight down a grin himself.

Eventually, they would have to actually talk about it, and Rin would have to figure out just exactly when his subconscious had made the treacherous leap from _that Nitori is kind of cute but not in a gay way_ to _that Nitori is kind of cute totally in a gay way_ , and he'd have to have a talk with Nitori on underage drinking and how to do it and who to do it with (namely, Rin), and they'd have to make some kind of decision about the bunk bed situation, but for now? This was enough.

"Hurry up and get dressed so we can get breakfast," Rin said gruffly. "Ai."

"Yeah," Nitori said shyly, his eyes glittering, "Rin-senpai."

**Author's Note:**

> hahaha ha h ahah /lifts dialogue from ep 12 hella swaggy  
> anyway this is my first time writing rintori. or even free in general. so, i would really appreciate feedback? :)


End file.
